HARTFORD, CT — Parts of Connecticut faced a flash flood warning Tuesday as thunderstorms brought steady downpours, swollen roads and scattered service disruptions across several towns. The National Weather Service also posted a tornado watch for Fairfield County, western New Haven County and Litchfield County through 9 p.m.
Officials said between 1 and 2 inches of rain had already fallen in some areas, with rain rates as high as 2.5 inches per hour possible. Another 1 to 2 inches could still fall where the warning remained in effect.
What areas were under the strongest weather alerts?
The flash flood warning covered Fairfield County and western New Haven County, while Middlesex County was under a flood advisory. The tornado watch stretched across Fairfield County, western New Haven County and all of Litchfield County.
Weather officials said the day’s main threat was damaging wind, but they also warned that large hail or a tornado could not be ruled out. Gusts could reach 70 mph in the hardest-hit areas, according to the National Weather Service office in New York.
Which communities reported flooding and road closures?
Flooding was reported in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Shelton, West Haven and Trumbull. In Norwalk, parts of Connecticut Avenue, Woodward Avenue and New Canaan Avenue were closed because of standing water.
Bridgeport police closed several intersections ahead of worsening rain, including East Main Street and Crescent Street, State Street and Iranistan Avenue, Bishop Avenue at the Railroad Avenue Viaduct, and River Street between North Washington Avenue and North Avenue. In Fairfield, the Round Hill Road railroad underpass was also shut down.
What damage and disruptions were reported beyond the roads?
In Westport, Sherwood Island State Park closed because of flooding, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Officials said no other state parks were closed at that time.
Trumbull officials also closed the local Senior Center after heavy rain flooded the property, and said it would remain closed Wednesday as well. In West Haven, the Washington Avenue and Wood Street train overpass and part of Campbell Avenue were shut down for flooding.
How were utilities, emergency crews and local officials responding?
More than 3,600 outages were reported statewide by 4:35 p.m., according to Eversource, with Greenwich, Branford, Westport, Norwalk, Madison and Canaan each seeing more than 300. United Illuminating’s outage total fell sharply during the afternoon, dropping to 182 by 4:35 p.m. after earlier peaking at 1,290.
In Stamford, the Belltown Volunteer Fire Department said crews handled several storm-related calls, including a stranded driver on Haig Avenue and water removal in a below-grade parking garage. In Bridgeport, a city spokesperson said a Beardsley Zoo worker was evaluated at a hospital after lightning contact but was doing well and had no serious injuries.
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